Application of hydrochar co-product in levulinic acid production from sugarcane leaf as efficient catalyst supporting material for isosorbide production
Issued Date
2026-07-01
Resource Type
ISSN
03783820
Scopus ID
2-s2.0-105034619982
Journal Title
Fuel Processing Technology
Volume
286
Rights Holder(s)
SCOPUS
Bibliographic Citation
Fuel Processing Technology Vol.286 (2026)
Suggested Citation
Nakason K., Kanokkantapong V., Rimsithiwongso P., Khemthong P., Kraithong W., Panyapinyopol B. Application of hydrochar co-product in levulinic acid production from sugarcane leaf as efficient catalyst supporting material for isosorbide production. Fuel Processing Technology Vol.286 (2026). doi:10.1016/j.fuproc.2026.108448 Retrieved from: https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/116094
Title
Application of hydrochar co-product in levulinic acid production from sugarcane leaf as efficient catalyst supporting material for isosorbide production
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Abstract
Comprehensive utilization of lignocellulosic residues is critical for the development of sustainable and economically viable biorefineries. In this study, the hydrochar generated as a co-product during levulinic acid (LA) production from sugarcane leaf (SCL) was converted into a renewable dehydration catalyst for isosorbide (ISS) synthesis via sorbitol dehydration. SCL was converted to LA through a catalytic hydrothermal process (C-HTP) of SCL, and the hydrochar co-product was sulfonated at temperatures between 140 and 200 °C. The resulting catalysts were thoroughly characterized by elemental analysis, acid–base titration, nitrogen physisorption, TPD, TGA, XPS, FTIR, XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM, and TEM. Their catalytic performance in sorbitol dehydration to ISS was evaluated at different reaction temperatures (160–240 °C), times (15–27 h), catalyst amounts (0.05–0.45 g), sorbitol masses (0.5–2.5 g), and solvent volumes (15–35 mL). The catalyst sulfonated at 200 °C (200-SH) showed the highest activity, affording an ISS yield of 58.36%, ISS selectivity of 59.04%, and sorbitol conversion of 98.85% at 220 °C for 21 h using 0.25 g of catalyst, 1.0 g of sorbitol, and 20 mL of solvent. This outstanding performance is attributed to its large surface area and high density of acid sites. In addition, 200-SH exhibited excellent thermal and structural stability, retaining its activity over five consecutive cycles. When benchmarked against the commercial Amberlyst-15 catalyst, 200-SH delivered comparable performance, underscoring its promise as a competitive, sustainable catalyst for scalable ISS production.